Atlanta Hawks Shopping No. 8 Pick as Insider Confirms Team Is Listening to Offers

The Atlanta Hawks are holding the No. 8 pick in next week’s NBA Draft, and according to multiple league sources, they’re not married to it. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic dropped that nugget in his latest mock draft, reporting that Atlanta has been actively discussing trade-up and trade-down scenarios with other teams.

“The Hawks are open for business with this pick. Sources have said Atlanta is discussing both trade-up and trade-down scenarios. But it also could stay here and take the player it wants,” Vecenie wrote.

This isn’t the first signal that the Hawks might shake things up. About a week ago, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Atlanta had already told rival teams it would happily field offers for the No. 23 pick — the second first-rounder they own after a trade with Cleveland. According to Fischer, the Hawks would prefer to make just one selection in the first round.

So what does that mean for the No. 8 pick? If Atlanta likes someone near the top of the draft, they have the assets to move up. If they’re not in love with the options at eight, they could slide back and pick up more pieces. The front office seems to be keeping all doors open.

One team that could factor into trade talks is Milwaukee. The Bucks are reportedly planning to have multiple first-round picks this year, and ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel recently floated a three-team deal involving the Hawks sending out the No. 8 pick and Buddy Hield to the Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s just a mock scenario, but it shows the kinds of conversations that might be happening behind the scenes.

The Hawks have a lottery pick at No. 8 and another first-rounder at No. 23. They could use both. They could trade one. They could trade both. Vecenie’s report suggests the front office is at least listening hard. At this point the only thing that seems clear is that nothing is set in stone.

For a team that’s been stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference, this draft could be a chance to reset or reload. Depending on which direction they go, the Hawks might look very different when training camp opens.